The White Tigress
by DemonLover56
Summary: An unfamiliar demon has approached Kurama and asked him to commit an unspeakable act. Having vowed never to revert to his evil demon instincts again, he's conflicted. Rated T for safety!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any its characters. This is my first posting on this site so enjoy!

Kurama was sitting in the living room with his human stepfather and stepbrother, helping the latter with his homework while the former read a book and his mother cooked dinner. All was a normal evening in the Minamino home until their doorbell rang. "One moment!" Shiori called from the kitchen, but young Kokoda stopped her.

"It's all right, Mom!" he called, getting up and walking toward the door. "I'll get it! You don't mind if we take a little break, do you, Shuuichi?"

"Not at all," he replied, getting up and stretching. "I'm going to take this opportunity to go upstairs and change out of my school uniform. Of course, it's straight back to work after that, Kokoda."

He nodded with a smile as his big brother disappeared up the stairs. He then opened the door to see a young woman there. She couldn't have been any older than seventeen or eighteen, and she had long white hair with black streaks that flowed down her back, accenting her deep blue eyes that were so light they might have been mistaken for a very faint gray.

If she attended high school, it wasn't evident, as she was out of uniform. She was wearing instead a pair of blue jeans, a white sleeveless turtleneck, a black calf-length jacket, and matching black boots. Her look was extremely serious, and yet there was a very distinct hint of worry in her eyes.

She bowed and said, "Konnichiwa. Is this the Minamino residence?"

"Yes, it is," he replied, leading her inside. He shut the door behind her and said, "Can I help you with something?"

The young woman glanced around a bit anxiously and said, "I do hope so. I'm looking for Shuuichi Minamino. Is he at home?"

"Yeah," Kokoda said. "He just went upstairs, but he'll be right back down if you want to wait here in the living room." He then showed her the way and said, "Dad, this young woman is looking for Shuuichi. Is it okay if she waits here until he comes back down?"

"Of course," he replied, standing up to shake her hand. "I'm Shuuichi's stepfather. Are you a friend of his?"

She smiled for the first time, though it didn't relieve the anxiousness, and she said, "You might say that. My name is Minaku Takatori. I'm not even certain if Shuuichi will remember me. We knew each other quite some time ago."

Just a moment later, Kurama came back down the stairs and stopped when he saw the lovely young woman standing in his living room. He quickly hid his shock, however, and went the rest of the way down saying, "Hello. Can we help you?"

"Shuuichi Minamino?" she said with a bit of hope in her voice.

"Yes," he replied, bowing to her. "And you are?"

She glanced around at the watching eyes and said quietly, "Would it be all right if we took a walk, Minamino-san? I have something of the greatest urgency I need to speak to you about."

He nodded and called, "Mother, I'm going for a walk. I'll be back before dinner is ready."

"All right, dear!" she called back. "If your friend would like to stay for dinner, she is more than welcome to, as well!"

They took their leave and started walking down the sidewalk in silence for several minutes. Finally, Kurama turned back to her and said, "Please, what is your name? Why have you come here to see me?"

"That all depends," she replied, not looking him in the eye. "Would you like my human name, or my true name?"

He raised an eyebrow. "So you _are_ a demon, as I suspected. You hide your energy very well, but there was still the distinct hint of a powerful Spirit Energy lurking beneath the surface. Tell me both of your names."

She smiled a hollow smile and said, "My human name is Minaku Takatori. As for who I am as a demon, you will find out soon enough, I am sure. The point is, Youko, that I have come to speak to you about a project you are already working on. I know all about the Demon World Tournament that will take place in a few months, and I fully intend on being there, not to win but to defeat some of the more meager competition for you and your friends."

He was still a bit confused as he said, "So why have you come to me? Merely to tell me that you will be there? That seems a bit unreasonable, don't you think?"

"Not at all," she replied. "And that isn't the only reason I came here today. I did want to tell you that I'll be at the competition, but I also wanted to offer to you a very intriguing proposition."

She stopped him where he was on the street and pulled him into an alleyway before going on quietly, "Yomi the Spider Demon will die before the end of this competition. I know that he is a former friend of yours and very close to you even now, but even you must admit that he's just manipulating you, using your guilt to trap you into service for him.

"You and I both know that he is the one who should be serving you. After all, you are the great Youko the Spirit Fox, the legendary King of Thieves. Once upon a time, he was your cohort, just another follower and worshipper of the Great Fox. You tried to have him killed once, remember? A trick that didn't work very well, indeed. I'm giving you the opportunity now to right that wrong. Help me destroy him and give him the death that he so rightly deserves."

He had to admit that he was astonished by her offer. Of course he'd considered trying to kill Yomi again, but he'd never even come close to carrying it out. Finally, he said gently, "And what is your personal vendetta against him, if I may ask? Has he harmed you personally, or is this just another random assassination attempt by a demon not worth her salt?"

She glared at him angrily, and it was perhaps her calm tone that frightened him the most when she said, "You do not know to whom you are speaking, Fox. You may be a legendary demon yourself, but that does not mean that you are the only one. Yomi owes me a great debt after all he's done to harm me and my kind. This is not an obscure assassination attempt. This is personal. I will give you until the end of the first elimination round of the tournament to give me your answer."

Without another word, she began to walk back toward the street and away from him. "Wait," he said, making her stop and turn back around to him. "At least give me a hint. Who are you?"

A little smirk crossed her lips as she recited:

_In the mountains I dwelled for many years,_

_Centuries of tradition only led to tears._

_My kind and I were driven away_

_By a demon who refused to let us stay._

_Now all but three have lost their souls,_

_And now this trio to that demon his evil fate bestows._

With that, she disappeared around the corner, and by the time Kurama had memorized the limerick and walked out onto the sidewalk, she had disappeared completely. He looked around a bit confusedly and decided to go home and contemplate the riddle before making any kind of decision about helping her.


	2. Chapter 2

It didn't take long for Kurama to figure the riddle out, knowing what he did about Demon World politics and such. The moment he arrived back home, he wrote down the riddle and mulled it over silently. He knew that there were only a select few races of demons that lived in the mountain areas, and knowing that she was talking about the mountain areas in the region that Yomi controlled, that narrowed it down even further.

The races of White Tigers and Snow Owls were the only ones who lived in the Southern Mountains of Demon World. It had been said for years that almost all of the White Tigers had been driven out of the mountains, into the harsher terrains because Yomi envied their power and majesty. Because they weren't used to the warmer weather, the White Tigers didn't last long.

There was still, however, a group of about twenty who were strong enough to survive. Thus, Yomi had been forced to attack the group himself, killing all but three, and even those three were a mistake. He'd thought that they were dead when he left; what he hadn't counted on was their strength as Upper Class Demons. The three healed themselves and vowed vengeance in blood before disappearing into the recesses of Demon World.

The survivors had quickly become legend all over all three worlds, and their names struck fear into the hearts of all those who would dare to oppose them. The strongest and oldest of the trio was Shiro, thus he was named their leader by default. The youngest was Mamoru, though his youth belied his true strength. The third was the only female to survive, a White Tigress named Meiyuki, who, though she wasn't the strongest, was the most ruthless in battle by far.

The Trio, as they had become known simply, had been what most considered to be dormant for going on three hundred years, and now Meiyuki herself had come to Kurama for help. Thinking back, he remembered why they must have chosen him. Of course, he was very well known all over Demon World, but he now remembered a specific fight he had had against Meiyuki as Youko the Spirit Fox.

Surely she remembered his strength from that fight, and because he was close to Yomi, it only made him a better candidate. Now he had a real quandary: To kill or not to kill? Should he really help them try to destroy one of his oldest friends…who had stabbed him in the back…? Gods, what a decision this would be!

About three months later, the competition was ready to begin, and demons from all over the Three Worlds came to the one arena for this battle. Who would win the title of Ruler of Demon World, indeed? Looking around at the competition, it appeared to be anyone's game.

Kurama had confided his conundrum to a few of the friends he had come upon while training for Yomi, and they all said that he should take the deal and help them. He still felt puzzled, however. Shishi had made the point that the old him, the King of Thieves, wouldn't have even considered such an offer before accepting with the greatest of pleasure. True, he had loved bloodshed back then, and he used to thirst for it just as any other powerful demon did. But he had made a promise to himself not to revert to his old self anymore. What was he going to do about this?

The first round of fights ended relatively quickly for the stronger demons, and Kurama found himself back in the waiting rooms with Yusuke and several of the others just moments after their fights began. They watched the screens with interest, and the Fox Demon kept a sharp eye out for Meiyuki. He wasn't sure whether she would be in her demon form or her human form, so he had to concentrate doubly and watch for either.

About a half an hour into the primaries, however, his concentration was broken when she began to communicate with him telepathically, "Youko, please meet me outside the South Gate when all of the primaries are over. We'll take a walk. You and I have much to discuss."


	3. Chapter 3

Another hour or so later, the primaries ended, and he walked outside to the South Gate, just as she had requested of him. Sure enough, she was there in her human form, waiting for him with a smile. She bowed and said, "I'm glad you came. I wasn't altogether sure that you would, and that would give me my answer." They began to walk through the forest together as she went on, "But now I have a quandary myself. Because you came to speak to me, I don't know whether your answer is yes or no."

He remained silent as he thought about how to tell her what he had decided. He wasn't sure she would understand the reasoning behind his decision without a little explanation, but before he could speak, she continued on with a question, "So, did you figure out my little riddle? It wasn't exactly difficult."

"No, I figured it out," he assured her. "And I have to say that it is a great pleasure to be in the presence of the famed Meiyuki the White Tigress. I must apologize for my assumptions that your abilities were anything less than they are said to be. Had I known who you are, I never would have said those things."

She shook her head to dismiss it entirely. "Please, you didn't know, and I didn't offer any information. There is nothing for which you should be ashamed or sorry."

In order to stall a little bit, he said, "Tell me a little bit more about yourself and your relationship with the other two White Tigers."

She smiled a little and said, "I will be three thousand years old this November, and I have lived with other White Tigers for my entire life except for recently. Shiro, Mamoru, and I decided to split up and try to find demons who would help us in our quest. Yomi has only become stronger as the years have gone on, and we've needed assistance. We agreed to meet up here at the competition, so I expect them to find me soon.

"I love them both dearly, and we've only become closer since Yomi tried to kill us. Many have asked us if the three of us will preserve the species, and truly we've only discussed it once, directly after all but we three were killed. Because Shiro and I are the oldest, we have decided to have children after we kill Yomi, and our children, once they have grown up, will have children with Mamoru because he is so much younger than we are. Our species will be preserved, at least as far as we are concerned. We won't let the White Tigers die out."

Kurama couldn't help but smile in reply. "A very noble quest, to be sure."

She smiled as she leaned against a tree and said, "You know, you aren't all what I imagined you would be, Youko. Of course, I've never believed that story about how you died the moment you reached Human World. You were far too strong for that. I have to admit that, while it isn't a bad thing at all, living as a human has mellowed you.

"When we met back in Human World I expected…Well, to be honest, I expected the old Youko. Instead, far more pleasant, I found a kind, gentle human boy with a good heart. Imagine my surprise."

He stood in front of her and kept his smile. "You wouldn't think that only eighteen years as a human would make a three-thousand year old demon change that much, but it has. They're so different from demons, more compassionate and caring, especially my mother. I wish you could have met her for longer, Meiyuki. She's wonderful. In essence, she is the one who turned me around. I almost killed her with everything I did. I had to change if I wanted to save her."

"I know," she said gently. "I spoke with Mr. Urameshi yesterday when we all first arrived here. I asked him to tell me more about you as a human, and he told me that you almost gave up your life for your human mother. Naturally, I was shocked. I couldn't believe such a kind act of selflessness had come from the infamous Fox."

She took a step closer to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "You've changed, Youko, and you have changed for the better. You were infamous for your ruthlessness and cunning. Now you have the chance to turn it all around. You can be famous for your good heart and wisdom."

Before he could even think to reply, Meiyuki cried out in pain and clutched her chest, falling to her knees. Kurama caught her in his arms before she could hit the ground and said, "Meiyuki! What is it?"

Her breathing was labored as she said, "It's Shiro. Something's wrong. Oh gods, I have to go to him."

"Let me come with you," he asked worriedly. "Please, Meiyuki. This could involve me, too."

She furrowed her brow and said, "All right, but we have to hurry. As far as I can sense, he's not far to the north. Hurry!"


	4. Chapter 4

The two ran as fast as they could to the north, Meiyuki's senses growing stronger and stronger as she drew closer to their target. About five minutes later, they reached a riverbank, and on the other side was a male White Tiger in his demon form, lying in the grass and a pool of his own blood. His white ears flickered as his striped tail swished around him. His hands were clutched tightly against the pain, making his claws dig into his skin, and his fangs were bared.

Meiyuki gasped deeply and quickly changed into her demon form as she jumped over the river, Kurama directly on her heels. She knelt beside the male and said worriedly, "Shiro! What happened? Who did this to you?"

He took his breaths in great gasps as he said, "Damn him. It was Yomi. He's uncovered our plan, Meiyuki. He knows you and Mamoru are here. He killed the demon I brought along with me and attacked me. He's gotten so much stronger since the last time we fought. I don't know if I'm going to make it out of this one."

"No, don't say that," she replied, holding his hand tightly. "You'll be fine. Just hold on, all right?"

She put her hands over his heart, prepared to give him her Life Energy to save him. He put his hands over hers, however, and said, "No, don't. You don't need to be any weaker. You have to stay strong and finish this. It's going to be up to you now. I've lived a long, full life. I'm just glad I could die in the pursuit of avenging our people."

"But, Shiro," she said, letting the tears well up in her eyes. "It was supposed to be you and me, remember? We were going to defeat Yomi and have children. We were going to be together forever. You can't just give up on that now."

He smiled a little as he tightened his grip on her hands. "I'm sorry, Meiyuki. I wish we could fulfill those plans, but I just can't go on. It's going to be up to you and Mamoru now. Take good care of him, okay?" He then looked at Kurama and chuckled, "I knew she would find you. She's talked for years about finding the great Youko the Fox and getting him to help us. Will you watch after her for me?"

"Of course," he replied. "Meiyuki is a wonderful, powerful demon. I'll do all I can for her."

"Thank you," Shiro said before turning back to Meiyuki. "You be strong. Promise?"

She nodded, as the tears spilled over her cheeks. "I promise."

"I love you," he said weakly before closing his eyes and exhaling for the last time.

Meiyuki laid her head down on his chest and held him closely as she continued to cry. Kurama didn't know what else he could do for her except kneel beside her and put his hands comfortingly on her back. "Is there anything you'd like for me to do, Meiyuki?"

"No," she replied quietly as she transformed back into her human form. Her ears and tail receded, her fangs turned to normal teeth, and her claws became normal hands. "I need to bury him. He deserves at least that much respect in death."

"Would you like my help?" Kurama asked carefully.

She shook her head. "This is something I have to do alone. You can go back to the arena if you'd like. I don't need an answer from you anymore because the plan has fallen apart. Yomi obviously knows what we were planning to do, and so I will take his life myself. Mamoru is too young to do this with me without Shiro."

He furrowed his brow as he slid closer to her and said, "And what about you? Do you think that you will be strong enough to defeat Yomi on your own? Mamoru may be young, but he may be willing to help…as am I." She turned to face him as he went on, "Please, Meiyuki, allow me the chance to help you avenge Shiro's death. He asked me to watch after you, and I told him that I would. I never break a promise."

Despite her rough and tough exterior, she temporarily broke down the barriers of hate around her heart and embraced him tightly. "Thank you, Youko. Thank you so much."

He smiled and said, "It's all right. And please, call me Kurama. Youko is the past I've left behind. This is the Fox as he will remain until he dies."


	5. Chapter 5

A couple of hours later, Meiyuki and Kurama arrived back at the arena after she had buried Shiro beside the river. Even after Kurama had agreed to help her destroy Yomi, she wouldn't allow him to help her bury her best friend.

The moment that they arrived in one of the waiting rooms, they heard a voice call, "Hey, you guys!" And Yusuke came hurrying toward them as he waved. "Where have you been? You've been missing all the excitement. Chuu lost his fight to a woman because he fell for her in the middle! Can you imagine a big guy like Chuu losing to a girl?"

As he began to laugh, Meiyuki raised an eyebrow, and Yusuke immediately clammed up. "Not that I'm saying women can't fight, of course." He cleared his throat, preparing to change the subject. "So where have you guys been?"

"We took a walk," Kurama said, putting a gentle hand on Meiyuki's back for comfort. "We had some things to talk about privately, and this is hardly the place."

Yusuke raised an eyebrow and looked back and forth between them. He then turned to Meiyuki and said, "Hey, Tiger Girl, you okay? You seem like you don't feel so hot. This guy didn't insult you or anything did you? I could kick his butt for you."

This garnered a little smile, just a little one, as she said, "It's all right, Mr. Urameshi. I assure you that Kurama was the perfect gentlemen. I suppose I'm a little tired from my primary fight. You know how fighting forty-nine other demons at a time can take its toll on one's Spirit Energy."

She then bowed and said, "If you gentlemen will please excuse me, I'm going to go back to the hotel and lie down for a while."

They bowed back, and after she was gone, Yusuke said, "Is she really okay, Kurama?"

"She'll be all right," he replied, still staring after her. "I can't discuss exactly what's going on, but she'll be okay."

Later that night, sometime around ten o'clock or so, Kurama decided to go check on Meiyuki just to make sure that she was all right. He knocked on her hotel room door, only to find it opened by a demon he didn't recognize. He was, of course, disguised as a human and looked to be about sixteen or seventeen years old. He had long ebony hair and deep emerald eyes that stared wonderingly at him.

"You," he said in an awed voice. "You're the one she told me about, Youko the Spirit Fox." He bowed lowly and added, "What an honor it is to meet you, Sire."

Kurama raised an eyebrow and said, "That's unnecessary, I assure you. You must be Mamoru. Is Meiyuki in?"

"Yes, she is," he replied, leading him inside. He then called to the back of the suite, "Meiyuki, there's someone here to see you!"

She walked out of the bedroom with her hand on her head saying, "Who is it, Mamoru?" She then looked up to see Kurama and hurried over to him to embrace him again. "I was hoping you'd come see me tonight."

"I was worried about you," he replied. "How have you been?"

"As well as can be expected," she said, leading him further inside and sitting with him on the couch. "I summoned Mamoru as soon as I got back to the room, and he's been here ever since, for that I can thank the gods. By the way, Kurama, meet Mamoru. Mamoru, this is Kurama."

The young Tiger bowed again and said nervously, "We met at the door. Again, Sire, it is my great pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Kurama couldn't help but raise an eyebrow again. He really couldn't understand what the big deal was, but he supposed it was just Mamoru's youth that was making him act so adoringly at his mere presence. He bowed back as he replied, "Once again, it is a pleasure to meet you as well, Mamoru. Meiyuki has told me much about you."

He smiled happily before turning to Meiyuki and saying, "Now that he's here, I'm going to go search for Kana and make sure she knows the new plan. Is that all right with you, Meiyuki? Do you need me to stay here with you?"

"No, thank you, Mamoru," she replied. "You go ahead and find Kana and let me know what she says. I'll be just fine here."

She then stood and walked him to the door. Kurama watched as they said their quiet goodbyes and hugged each other tightly. Meiyuki gave him a tender kiss on the cheek and said, "Be careful, Mamoru. I love you."

"I love you too, Meiyuki," he said before walking out the door and shutting it behind him.

Meiyuki walked back into the main room and sat down again saying, "Please forgive him. His youth makes him over-eager when it comes to meeting demons of legend. You are perhaps his favorite legend of all. When he was just a Cub, he talked about you all the time, how he wanted to be just like you."

She let out a little chuckle as she added, "He's such a dreamer. He has such wonderful, big dreams, and I hope more than anything that he achieves them all. I told him that I wasn't going to let him help me now that Shiro is dead, and he refused to let that happen. Gods, he may be young, but he's so brave and strong."

"So I see," Kurama replied with a smile. "I could sense his strength the moment he opened the door. He seems like a very kind young demon. I couldn't really imagine him trying to kill anyone."

"Which is perhaps why he's stayed so close to Shiro and me in these past years," Meiyuki elaborated. "We're far more ruthless than he, and we aren't (or rather weren't) afraid to kill in battle or to kill for vengeance. This is also perhaps why he chose a demon to join us that might be the only one I've ever met whom I could completely call heartless.

"I've met Kana many times before, and we were quite close for some time. She is a Wolf Demon from the West, and she's very strong, very willful. Kana is not what one would call a tame Wolf, either. She stays in her demon form most of the time because she knows that it will make others fear her more. Oddly enough, she and Mamoru are quite close."

They were both silent for quite some time until Kurama said, "May I ask you somewhat of a personal question, Meiyuki?"

She seemed to consider for a moment before replying, "Of course. You and I have become close enough, I think, to be able to ask anything of each other. Please, ask away."

"Were you and Shiro in love? I mean, I know you told me that you loved him very much and that the two of you were planning to have children together when this whole thing is over, but was that just to preserve the species, or where you _in love_?"

The Tigress was again silent for several minutes, seeming to consider how to answer the question. Finally she said, "You know, essentially, I don't believe that loving someone and being in love with them are terribly different. I've loved and been in love, and they felt relatively similar to me. Where Shiro was concerned, I think I began loving him and ended in love with him. I gladly would have borne children for him both to preserve the species and to strengthen our bond."

There was a pause, and Kurama noticed that her eyes were growing misty again. She was staring into space, trying to hide her tears from him, but he simply put his arm around her shoulders and let her lean into him. She pulled her legs up on the couch with her and rested her head against his chest, putting her arms tightly around his waist, as he put his chin on the top of her head.

After a few minutes, he felt her shaking and said gently, "It's all right, Meiyuki. We'll avenge his death together."

She nodded. "I don't know how to thank you, Kurama," she whispered, closing her eyes and sighing. "Somehow I'll repay you."

"It's all right," he said again. "Just relax. I'm here with you now."


	6. Chapter 6

_Kurama was in his full demon form, a Fox rushing through the forests of Demon World, stealing, pillaging, doing anything and everything to defile Spirit World. He heard the sound of rushing water, and decided he would camp there for the evening. When he found the stream, however, he realized that it was already occupied._

_Sitting on the banks was a White Tigress demon, a rarity indeed in such warm climates. She had her arms resting on her knees and her chin resting in her arms as her ears flickered and her tail swished gently around her. She stared silently at the water as it flowed, her eyes pensive and deep, and only did she move when her keen ears caught the sound of another approaching._

_She stood calmly and said, "Whoever you are watching me, come on out of your hiding place. You will not be able to escape me if you choose to run, so you may as well reveal yourself now and save us both the trouble."_

_Youko walked out of the trees and looked her up and down. He hadn't ever seen a White Tigress so closely, and he realized as he stared that she was very lovely and very strong. She looked equally surprised to see him as she glanced at him._

"_I thought it might be someone like you," she said. "Your energy is quite large, Youko, and not exactly easy to mask."_

"_I'm flattered," he replied. "You think too highly of me, Tigress. I believe you are quite far from home. Might I ask why you've journeyed so far from the Southern Mountains?"_

"_You may ask, but you will not receive an answer," she said angrily._

Kurama awoke when he felt Meiyuki practically seizing in his arms. She was shaking terribly and groaning as she spoke worriedly, "Shiro…Mamoru…no…no…"

He shook her gently, and when she woke up, it took her several moments to realize where she was. She put her hand to her chest, cringing against the pain, and suddenly she was filled with a terrible dread. "No," she whispered. "Oh gods, no!"

"What is it, Meiyuki?" Kurama asked worriedly as he followed her to the balcony.

She flung the doors open and looked out into the darkness, her breathing heavy and her heart racing. With the fastest pace she could manage, she scurried down the side of the hotel and out into the woods, leaving Kurama perplexed and alone. He prayed that nothing was wrong, and that it was all just a bad dream in her head.

He decided to wait there until she got back, so took a seat on her couch and began to doze again. It was, after all, quite late at night (or rather, early in the morning). It was about two hours later that he woke up upon hearing the front door open.

Kurama walked out into the hallway to see that Meiyuki was back, her head bowed in fatigue and her eyes droopy. Upon closer inspection, he realized that her hands were covered in dirt and scratches, and he furrowed his brow as he said, "Meiyuki, what happened? Surely you were just dreaming."

She looked up at him wearily, the tears burning hotly in her already red eyes. Her expression was nothing if not anger and the familiar demon impulse to kill. "No more waiting, Kurama," she said quietly. "Yomi will die, and it will be soon. I can't sit by anymore and watch as he slowly kills us off."


	7. Chapter 7

Later that morning, the two arrived at the battle ground together to see the rest of the group already there and checking to see who their first fights would be against and what time they were to report to which specific field. Kurama was growing more and more worried that Meiyuki hadn't said anything since coming back to the room and explaining what she'd found.

Sensing once again that something was wrong, Meiyuki followed her instincts to find Mamoru in the same place she had found Shiro before. Unfortunately, by the time she got to him, he was already too far gone for her Life Energy to be of any good. Just moments after she arrived, he told her how he loved her and exhaled for the last time.

She had buried him right beside Shiro and was on her way back to the hotel with a heavy heart when she heard someone calling out to telepathically. "Meiyuki!" the call came weakly. "To the west! Quickly!"

The White Tigress ran toward the call and found Kana also close to death. She told her how it was Yomi who had attacked both she and Mamoru. She had been able to take a small piece of him out of the battle, clawing at his face as he came at her, but he was still far too quick and strong for her to be able to take him down alone. "You've got to do something, Meiyuki," she said through the pain. "Kill him. If not for me, then for Shiro and Mamoru, kill him."

After she'd buried the last of her companions, she had gone back to the hotel only to tell Kurama all of what had just transpired. She'd refused comfort, insisting that she wasn't grieving, but was instead merely angry and bloodthirsty. Ever since the sun had risen, she hadn't spoken another word, and Kurama was beginning to wonder if she wasn't internally concocting some plan that she would stupidly try to pull off without him. When they reached the assignment sheets, however, he realized that a plan wasn't necessary.

Meiyuki's next match was going to be against Yomi, the work of the great Lord himself, Kurama was sure. She glared at the list and nodded. "Perfect," she said. "This will come down to a sheer battle of wits and strength, a true fight of the basest of instincts. I'm looking forward to it."

Kurama cleared his throat, growing irritated at her insistence upon doing all of this on her own. "Do you really think that you alone are going to be able to best Yomi in a hand to hand battle? After he single-handedly killed three others of the strongest demons in Three Worlds? You're losing your grip, Meiyuki."

"Don't lecture me," she replied as they continued to walk to the waiting room and watch some of the matches before theirs. "You don't know all of what I've gone through because of him. True, you know the story, but you can't imagine the pain and torment he caused Shiro, Mamoru, and me. We lost everything because of him, and now thanks to his scheming, the White Tigers, a once proud and regal race, will die with me.

"He may be stronger than I when it comes to mere strength and Spirit Energy, but I have far more experience and anger. You may not know this, but I met with Genkai years ago when she was a young woman on the Fighting Circle. She is the one who taught me that our Power is most closely related to our emotions, and when I set eyes upon his smug face, the last thing that Shiro and Mamoru saw before the Life was stripped from them, my anger will be enough to destroy him a thousand times over."

The Fox just shook his head. He wasn't going to argue with her in this state; he knew by now that that was futile anyway. He decided silently to try once more to talk reasonably to her before her battle later in the day and pray that he could get through to her. Bowing out gracefully was no big sin, after all. And if she chose not to fight Yomi in this round and get out of the tournament, Kurama would still be there to fight alongside her later. Yes, that was the argument he would use. And gods, did he hope it worked.


	8. Chapter 8

A few hours later, the time was drawing closer for Meiyuki's fight against Yomi and the group found her in the practice room, stretching and preparing herself. "Hey, Tiger," Yusuke said with a smile and yet a hint of worry in his voice. "You gonna go through with this fight?"

"The thought never even crossed my mind to back out," she replied, continuing to stretch. "I appreciate your concern for me, Yusuke, but I don't want any kind of help on this. It's my decision and mine alone. In a half an hour I'll either kill Yomi or die trying. Either solution won't be so bad."

"What are ye talkin' about?" Jin interrupted, his Irish in full swing today. "Ye know, if ye thinks about it, killin' Yomi isn't goin' te bring back all the people ye lost. Shiro and Mamoru are just as dead, and if _you_ die tryin' to avenge their deaths, where will that get ye? Then he'll just keep on killin' others, and ye'll be sittin' around Spirit World wishin' ye could do somethin' about it."

Chuu nodded. "He's right, sheila. You dying for this cause isn't going to get anyone anywhere. Haven't you ever thought that maybe vengeance isn't the most important thing?"

A look of pure anger and hatred flashed across her eyes, but her voice remained steady. "I'm going to fight him whether it's the intelligent thing to do or not. I know that revenge isn't the most important thing, and I know that it won't bring back Shiro or Mamoru or Kana, but that's not the point. I want to kill him not only to avenge my friends and family but to keep him from doing the same thing to some other poor group of Demons."

"Just don't expect me to reserve a spot for you in advance in Spirit World," they all heard a voice say. They then turned around to see Koenma, still in his disguise, walking toward them with an angry look. "I think you're being ridiculous about this whole thing. If you want to fight Yomi, that's fine, but do it somewhere where you'll have everyone else here for backup. You can't go it alone."

She raised an eyebrow and replied, "Backing out of this fight isn't an option, Koenma. I won't let him label me a coward as well as an incompetent fighter."

"Damn your pride and vengeance," Kurama said, also seemingly appearing from nowhere. "Listen to me, Meiyuki. Backing out of this fight will discredit you for a little while, of that you can be sure, but you'll gain back your support. Besides, do you know how many demons there are out there who support you and what the Trio stood for? They'll be the ones who will follow you into battle against Yomi when the time is right. Now is not that time."

Meanwhile across the stadium, Yomi stood at the window and listened closely to their conversation with his extremely heightened hearing. He chuckled to himself as he said, "Yes, that's right, Kurama. Tell her the truth. Tell her that she'll die if she goes up against me, and you couldn't bear to watch her suffer just like her two whorish mates. Talk her out of it, I dare you. Then I can kill the both of you when the time comes. Talk about killing two birds with one stone!"

Suddenly, the call came over the speakers, "The fourth round of matches will begin in ten minutes! All fighters please report to their rings and wait for the signal to begin!"

Yomi's sinister smile grew a little wider as he said, "Perfect. It's too late now. I suppose I'll just have to get her out of the way and kill the Fox later."

Meiyuki glanced over the field to the big screen in the center of all the smaller screens, each displaying a different fight. She knew that her battle would be directly in the center, the biggest of them all, and she swallowed the lump that had arisen in her throat as she walked outside.

"Meiyuki," Kurama tried one last time, grabbing her arm with a jerk. "I'm asking you one last time not to go through with this. Let me help you. Let the others help you. We'll all gladly walk with you into battle against Yomi…another day."

She shook her head saying, "I'm glad you're so worried about me. It makes me feel like there are still other good demons out there." She took a step closer to him and kissed his cheek, sending a warm feeling throughout his entire body. "Thank you, Kurama. You've been a good friend while it lasted. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a match to fight."

He could only stand there and watch as she walked away, unable to move his legs to go after her further. Something in the way she had just spoken and some deep feeling inside him told him that this would be the last time he would see her, and yet still he couldn't move forward or even speak. _Goodbye, Meiyuki_, he sent a thought to her.

_Goodbye, Kurama_, she replied. _And I love you too._


	9. Chapter 9

It was eerily quiet in their fighting area as Meiyuki arrived there. It didn't take long for her to realize that it was because Yomi wasn't there yet. Suddenly, a deep chuckle reverberated through the trees, and she immediately went on her guard. Just a moment later, Yomi appeared out of the trees and said, "We meet again, Meiyuki. I would know that powerful Tigress Spirit Energy anywhere. You know, it's oddly similar to the Energy I sensed before attacking those two pathetic Tiger friends of yours."

She glared at him with rage filling her entire being. Genkai obviously hadn't been lying when she said that emotions affect power. At that moment, Meiyuki's emotions were flaring nothing if not pure fury and hatred, and it was definitely making her Spirit Energy flare up terribly.

Yomi must have noticed because he chuckled again and said, "Tsk, tsk, Meiyuki. You shouldn't live with so much anger in your heart. It will kill you someday, eat you away from the inside. Tell me, how have you been otherwise? I hear you partnered up with one of my own dear old friends. You're becoming more deceitful. Now _that's_ the demon I remember from all those centuries ago."

Meiyuki was using every bit of strength she had keeping her breathing steady, and yet it wasn't doing much good. She knew that he could sense her irregular breathing and intense heartbeat. She just had to do all she could not to make too much noise otherwise. His hearing was far too advanced for her to be able to elude him that way.

"The demon you remember was young and naïve," she replied. "She's not quite as inexperienced anymore. I remember how you attacked us yourself, killing everyone except the three of us. Gods, that was the worst moment of my entire life up until yesterday when you slaughtered the last bit of hope that I had."

He smirked. "Yes, that's right. Remember that day? I certainly do: the frightened quivering of the children's faces, the screams of the women, all if it. Do you remember, Meiyuki?"

_Meiyuki had been walking through the forest with Shiro, foraging for food for the group when she heard a loud commotion coming from the direction of the White Tiger camp. She looked up quickly and flickered her ears, trying to listen more closely. "Shiro," she said gently. "Do you hear that?"_

_He glanced around and listened before grabbing her hand and saying, "Come on, Meiyuki. Something's wrong."_

_They arrived at the camp a few moments later to see many already dead and Yomi in the middle of it all. Several were attacking him at once, and yet he was throwing each of them off with ease. Without even a slight hesitation, the two jumped in on the fight. The attack lasted several more hours before Yomi stood over all the dead or dying, a satisfied smirk on his face._

_He kicked over a few of the dead bodies and knew that the few that weren't already dead would be very shortly. Their heartbeats were weak and slow and would stop on their own. There was no sense in overdoing it. Sniffing the deadened air with approval, he walked calmly back toward his Keep, where he could rest knowing that the White Tigers would foul his land no further._

_A few hours after he was gone, Shiro awoke, feeling weak and worn out. He looked around to see that everyone was dead, and lying not five feet away from him was Meiyuki. He crawled a little closer, observing the deep gashes on her face made by Yomi's claws and the puddle of blood around her._

"_Meiyuki," he said gently, shaking her and praying that she would wake up. "Gods, Meiyuki, wake up."_

_She stirred a little and opened her eyes, unable to move because of all her injuries. "Shiro," she said weakly, turning her head to look at him. "Where is everyone? Are they okay?"_

_He sat up feebly and held her tightly against him as he replied, "They're all dead, Meiyuki. Yomi killed everyone."_

"_Oh gods," she whispered, resting her head on his chest._

_At that moment, they heard a small groan of pain near them. They turned around to see that another young Tiger whom they'd known by the name of Mamoru was waking up himself. "What happened?" he asked, looking around wearily._

_Meiyuki sighed and said, "Everything will be all right, Mamoru. We're going to make it through this, the three of us."_

_He furrowed his brow as he closed his eyes against the pain and tears. "Damn him," he whispered before falling unconscious again._

Thinking back on that day, her anger only increased. They had spent months recovering and regaining their strength before they were even able to make a proper monument to the White Tigers, which they later placed at the site of the battle and prayed over. Hot tears were now stinging her eyes, and her breathing had grown even heavier as she stared at his smug face.

"The time has come," Meiyuki said. "You will die for all that you did to us, and it will be at my own hand. It may not bring back all the loved ones I lost, but I'll at lest rest knowing that you'll never be able to harm another demon again."

He just continued to smile evilly as Koto shouted over the P.A. system, "And…begin!"


	10. Chapter 10

Everyone back on solid ground in Demon World was watching on the largest center screen as Yomi and Meiyuki battled back and forth for what must have been hours. Even all the other fights that had been scheduled to take place at the same time had stopped, and all the fighters returned to watch what would transpire in the battle of the century.

The lead passed from one to the other as quickly as one could blink. First Yomi would have Meiyuki pinned on the ground, and then she would jump up and throw him into a tree. It went back and forth between them, neither appearing to tire, and the demons back on the ground growing more and more worried as time wore on.

A few hours into the battle, they all watched as Yomi picked Meiyuki up by the neck and threw her into a large boulder. The sheer force of his throw was evident in that the boulder broke into pieces the moment she hit it. "Damn it!" Yusuke shouted. "He's going to kill her up there!" Growing more and more frustrated, he ran up to the roof of the building they were in and shouted, "Meiyuki! You better kick his ass, or I'll kick yours! Don't you dare give up!"

He watched as she opened her eyes and stood strongly, and he smirked, knowing that she'd heard him. The others joined him just in time to see her fly towards Yomi, hands outstretched in attack, and it must have taken him by surprise because she hit him as hard as she could, pounding him into the ground and creating a rather large crater around him.

She stepped out of the crater, staring angrily down at him and shouting, "That can't be it, you bastard! Get out here and fight me like you mean it! Come on! Give me the strength you gave Shiro and Mamoru! I dare you!"

Kurama shuddered, able to feel her anger even from where they were standing. "My gods," he said, trying to stay calm. "I think it is she who might kill Yomi."

Answering her call, Yomi jumped easily out of the hole and glared at her. His easy-going, playful nature was now gone, and he was growing angrier himself, as was evident in his own expressions and growing Energy.

"You presumptuous wench of a Tigress," he said, keeping his voice calm. "What makes you think you can defeat me on your own? How dare you! You and your pathetic friends should have attacked me when you had the opportunity! You might have had a chance fighting me together! Instead you chose to scheme and plan, and where did it get you? Alone! You're all alone, Meiyuki! Perhaps if those Tigers had cared more about you, they would have put up more of a fight like you are now! It seems that you care far more about them than they ever did about you!"

Her eyes grew wider as he went on. _No!_ she thought to herself. _Don't let him manipulate you this way! He's wrong! Shiro and Mamoru loved you just as much as you love them still! And they still love you! Don't let him get into your mind!_

He could see how she was beginning to break and smirked. "Yes, that's the hit, isn't it?" he said triumphantly. "You know that it's true, Meiyuki. I can see you battling it out in your mind. 'He can't possibly be right…can he? Did Shiro and Mamoru really care about me at all?' Don't fight the truth. It's a ridiculously ancient concept that never works. You'll only disappoint yourself in the end."

A cold chill ran through her body as his words sank in. There was just no way. The last things they had said to her had been how much they loved her. But…Shiro was a far stronger demon than she. Why wasn't he able to hold Yomi off longer? The moment she had sensed that he was in danger, she had run to help him, and it had been only minutes later that he was dead. Something was amiss here, and that was undeniable even in her mind.

Seeing that she had broken down inside, he quickly rushed her and slashed her as many times as he could with his claws before she fell to the ground in a pool of her own blood. He then stood over her, licking the blood from his claws as he said, "I knew you were weak. It was all just show, your hardheaded determination. Isn't it just like a female to let you down in the end?"

Meiyuki breathed deeply, keeping her head and hanging onto the little life he had left in her. _Damn,_ she thought. _He's broken me. I haven't anything left to live for anyway. My entire kind are dead because of me, and the few friends I have left here I've let down._

At that moment, she heard a voice ring through her head, _Meiyuki, you can't think that way. Please, get up. Don't think you've let us down. None of us could ever be prouder of you._

_Kurama?_ she asked, raising her head.

_We're all watching you,_ he replied. _When we promised you that we'd always stand behind you, we meant it. We're here._

She smiled, letting a little tear fall from her cheek. _I can't do it anymore,_ she thought. _I can't keep going. I'd rather let him kill me and get it over with. At least I'll die knowing that I tried._

Suddenly, a different voice entered her head, one that she knew she would never forget. _Meiyuki,_ Shiro said gently. _You know that Yomi is only manipulating you. You know how much Mamoru and I love you. We've been right here watching you the entire time. Koenma gave us a special deal to let us watch and make sure you were okay._

_Listen to me, Meiyuki. Mamoru and I are proud of you and everything you do. You've been so strong up until now, but we have to ask that you stay strong for a little longer. You can defeat Yomi. You're strong enough. We love you, and gods, Meiyuki, _I _love you. You know that had I been strong enough to survive I would have had children with you in a heartbeat._

More tears were beginning to flood her eyes as she said weakly in her mind, _Shiro…_

_No, don't try to talk to me. You conserve the strength you have left, get up, and destroy him like we always meant to do together. We're watching, and we're with you no matter what._

She nodded, listening as Koto called over the intercom, "I don't believe it, ladies and gentlemen! Meiyuki's been down for several minutes now! This can't be it! It just can't be! Come on, blood and gore fans! Let her hear it!"

The entire stadium began to cheer her on, screaming at her to get up and fight. Listening to the support behind her, she lifted herself up onto her arms and arose weakly to her feet, staring Yomi in the face. "I'm not done yet," she said angrily, to the gleeful cheering of the demons in the stadium.

"Stubborn female," Yomi said, anger still evident in his expression. "You've signed your own death certificate."

"It was my pleasure," she replied with a smirk, standing at the ready. "Go."


	11. Chapter 11

Meiyuki awoke to see that she was in a white room, light streaming through the window but all the lights off otherwise. She sat up in the bed to a lot of pain and realized that she was also bandaged from head to toe, and further inspection revealed a familiar demon lying back asleep in a chair beside the bed. Still kind of confused, she shook his shoulder gently and said, "Kurama?"

He stretched and opened his eyes tiredly, remembering suddenly where he was. "Oh, you're awake," he said with a smile. "It's about time. You've been out for almost a week. Yomi really did a number on you, but fortunately it was vice versa as well."

"What are you talking about?" she asked. "Gods, I don't remember anything past…Let me see. I know there was a point when we rushed each other, but after that I don't remember anything. What happened, Kurama?"

He continued to smile as he sat beside her and said, "At the point where you rushed each other, you were both so full of rage and hatred that the sheer Energy you created when you collided caused both of you to fly backwards in an enormous explosion. We thought for a while that we lost you, but when the cleanup crew brought you back we realized you were still alive. Thank the gods for that."

So now she at least understood what had happened in the battle and what had happened to her. That left only one question to answer: "What happened to Yomi?"

She crossed her fingers silently as Kurama took a deep breath, wondering how to tell her. "He survived too, Meiyuki," he replied. "He recovered after a couple of days and stayed in the competition. He went on to battle Yusuke, after which they were both eliminated. When the tournament was over, he left for his castle in the south with his son. He's gone, but he's not dead. Fortunately, he's lost all power he once had in Demon World, and a new leader has taken over, a fair leader. His name is Enki, and he's already been by here since his victory. He was hoping that you were awake so that he could give you his formal apology for the loss of the White Tigers."

Meiyuki just shook her head, trying to process it all. He wasn't dead. She hadn't been strong enough, not by a long shot. He'd recovered from all the injuries she'd given him in just a couple of days, while she had taken nearly a week to regain her strength.

Knowing what she was thinking, Kurama put a hand on her shoulders and said, "Listen, don't get down on yourself. You did well. You fought valiantly, and there is nothing for which you should be ashamed or upset. There will be other battles, Meiyuki. For now, be glad that you're alive and restore yourself. You can seek him out again later, after you're sure that the rest of us are with you."

She looked up at him with a smile of thanks and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Kurama. I don't know what I did to deserve a wise friend like you, but I'm glad I did, whatever it was. Now come on. Help me up out of this bed, and let's go home."

He nodded, taking her hand and helping her up, being sure to loop an arm through hers so that she could lean against him as they walked. Upon walking outside the door, however, they realized that it was hardly necessary. There stood all the others, waiting impatiently to hear something about her. Needless to say, they jumped up with the greatest of excitement when she walked out herself.

"Hi, boys," she said over all their talking. "It's good to see that all of you made it out alive, as well."

"She's okay!" Chuu shouted, picking her up and spinning her around. "I knew she would be! This gal's got a head too hard to be taken out that easily!"

Yusuke laughed as he said, "All right, all right. Be careful with her. She just came out of a week long coma, after all. It's good to see that you're all right, Tiger. We were worried."

"You should have known better," she replied jokingly. After they all quieted down a little, she looked over each of them, thinking about how much she loved them all. "So," she said with a smile. "Who's ready to kick some sadistic demon ass?"

"Yeah!" they all shouted.

She then turned to Kurama and said, "I'd say the rest of you are with me." Seeing that he wasn't amused, she laughed and quickly added, "But we'll wait a while, just to be sure. Come on, Fox. Take me home."

He offered his arm, and the two walked outside to see Demon World as calm as it had ever been. They were sure that this Enki, whoever he turned out to be, was going to be a good leader and keep it that way for his short reign. Perhaps, Meiyuki thought, she would wait until after his calmness had worn off to go after her rival again. After all, that would give her sufficient time to recover and prepare while allowing Demon World to wind down and then wind back up again.

She laced her fingers with Kurama's and said, "Ready?"

"Ready," he replied, holding onto her tightly and slipping them through a break in the dimension to Human World.

* * *

_Not the best ending, I know, and kind of anticlimactic. However, have no fear for any interested. I will write a sequel as soon as possible. Meiyuki's adventures with the former Reikai Tantei and all involved are far from over. We all know by now that she won't rest until either she or Yomi is dead._


End file.
